Most computer users in the desktop environment employ some sort of data protection procedures and devices to protect computer system files and data files in the event of an accidental delete or overwrite of these files from the primary storage medium, which is usually the computer's hard drive. Computer data protection systems usually involve the backup of system and data files onto some sort of secondary storage device utilizing removable storage media, such as floppy disk drives, other hard disk drives, tape drives, etc. More sophisticated users may utilize automatic data protection devices and procedures that backup the entire system on a regular basis, allowing for a full system recovery if needed.
In many cases, however, computer users employ only manual backup procedures for data files and some system files on an inconsistent basis. This is because many users find the cost of automatic backup systems to be prohibitive. Others find the performance of automatic backup systems to be lacking, especially when trying to restore one file or a particular version of a file. Many users complain that finding and retrieving a backup file is very time consuming and difficult to do. Some also find that an automatic backup system does not lend itself very well to an unscheduled manual backup of a particular file or group of files. Many users are only interested in backups of their current data files rather than backups for system files or for a full system recovery. Other users do not want to take the time to learn a backup system's methods and procedures. Still others do not want to spend the time it takes to manually backup their data and system files, and fail to backup at all.
Recent research indicates that 70-80% of those who have purchased a compact disk device, such as a CD-R drive, are today using the device for performing simple data backup manually, even if they originally purchased the drive for another purpose. Simple data backup refers to backup of the user's data, and sometimes executable programs, as opposed to backup for the purposes of full system recovery. This use is obvious in light of the storage capability of the CD medium and the speed at which data can be transferred to and from it.
However, even with the increased storage capacity and speed of such disks, restoring a backup file to the hard drive involves shuffling disks in and out of the CD drive until the right disk is located that contains the desired file or files. This can be quite time consuming, especially if the user has a number of disks and does not have a listing of what files are on each disk. In addition, if a file is backed up in a number of different versions, which may also be on different disks, the user has to check for the date, time, or size of the file in addition to the file name to find the right version.
One other problem that exists in the art is the problem of creating a unique file name or disk name for a backup file or disk. There have been several prior art solutions to this problem. The first is to generate a name and append an integer number to the name to make the name unique. This solution presumes that the computer generating the name has access to all other possible names so that the names can be compared in order to increment the integer number until a unique name results. This solution fails when the computer generating the name does not have access to all other names, as is the case when generating a unique disk name for a removable disk. This solution is also inefficient since it must read all the file or disk names available to it to determine the integer that will make the file unique.
A second solution to the unique name problem is to generate a random number and either use its ASCII representation or convert the number into a number in base 36 notation, wherein the 26 letters and 10 digits are used to represent the number. This solution is also inefficient since it must read all the file or disk names available to determine if the name is unique, or rely on the chance that it is unique and not test it.
One problem with both the above solutions to creating a unique file or disk name is that two computers on a network may both generate the same name at the same time, since both are checking the same list of previously used names at the same time.
Thus, there is a need in the art in the desktop environment today for a simple and efficient automatic data protection system directed toward protecting current data or executable files that utilizes CD-R (Recordable) drives and CD-RW (Re-Writeable) drives. There is a further need in the art for a data protection system that has a simple, intuitive user interface that does not require the user to learn a whole new method and procedure. There is also a need in the art for a data protection system that allows for both manual and automatic data backup. There is a further need in the art for a method of off-line browsing of data stored on removable storage media that does not require the shuffling of the media in and out of the storage device. There is also a need in the art for a method that will indicate which removable storage medium to insert in the storage device in order to restore a particular file. Yet another need in the art is for a system that generates a unique file or disk name for use in naming each backup file or disk. The present invention meets these and other needs in the art.